'unacceptable, hateful and dangerous'
Adidas drops Kanye West days after he said 'Adidas can't drop me' for antisemitic comments
Adidas' relationship with Kanye West has come to an end.
The company said Tuesday it has "immediately" terminated its partnership with West, who is legally known as over the rapper's recent string of antisemitic comments.
"Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement. "Ye's recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company's values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."
West's Twitter account was restricted this month after he tweeted that he would go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE," which he followed up with further antisemitic comments. Former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo pushed back on the rapper in an interview, in which West complained about a "Jewish underground media mafia." In an appearance on Drink Champs on Oct. 16, West also claimed, "I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can't drop me."
Adidas faced growing pressure to end its partnership with West prior to the Tuesday announcement, and the company said cutting ties with him will result in "a short-term negative impact of up to" $246 million on its net income in 2022.
On Monday, the Hollywood talent agency CAA also cut ties with West, Johnny Depp's attorney Camille Vasquez stopped working with him, and MRC shelved a completed documentary about him.
"The silence from leaders and corporations when it comes to Kanye or antisemitism in general is dismaying but not surprising," executives from MRC said.
In a recent interview with Piers Morgan, West said he is "absolutely not" sorry about his "death con 3" tweet, though he apologized for causing "confusion."